08 April 2006

Giant Lizard King

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Materials:needles: US 6 (4-double-pointed)yarn: worsted weight, 85g should be sufficientyarn needlestuffinggoogly eyes: (optional, 10mm. you could use buttons, too)craft glue

Abbreviations:k: knitp: purlm: make a stitch (a form of increasing)k2tog: knit two stitches togethert2togtbl: knit two stitches together through the back loops (or you could just knit two together, the original dinosaur pattern used this, i don't know exactly why)sl: slip a stitch (don't knit or purl, slide it onto the new needle)psso: (in sl1, k1, psso) pass slipped stitch over, like you would if you were casting/binding offst(s): stitch(es)

okay, good job. i’m proud of you. now you’re going to pick up stitches from the side of the flap you made right before the heel. we’re going to be knitting in the round again. actually, i did this pickup up chunk differently but i think the following sequence of rows should get rid of those funny-looking vertical lines on the prototype. <> trust me. here we go:

ooh, snazzy. now we’re redistributing stitches again. combine those two needles we ignored for a long time onto one needle, there should be 22 sts. then evenly divide the heel stitches onto two needles, so the heel flap is divided right down the middle, 15 sts on each. muy bien. we have 52 sts, so let’s decrease: (the slashes fall between the needles)

Armsmake two (if your t rex is an amputee, modify the number of limbs accordingly)these are easy. should take you two minutes, tops. you could experiment and try four tiny partial rows of stockinette stitch and see if that turns out more clawlike)

cast on 7 stsrow 1: k2, turnrow 2: p2, turncast off

leave a few inches for a tail, you don’t need much here.

Legsyou’ll need two of these puppies.these are knit flat, you’ll seam them later.

FinishingFirst, use the tails on the arms to attach them in what looks like good arm spots on the body. Basically just use the needle to thread each end through, and tie a nice knot.

Then, stuff the tail and body up to the neck.

If you’re using buttons for eyes, now would be a good time for attaching them.

Use the yarn needle and the yarn end from beginning of the head to sew head seams. Then stuff the head, poking stuffing in through the neck. Then sew the neck closed. Tie a small knot and poke the end of the yarn inside the beast.

Finally use the leg yarn ends to sew around the bottom of the foot and the side seams of the legs. Stuff them, and attach them to the body in a logical location. Keep in mind that the legs and the tail sort of form a tripod of support for this fellow when you’re placing your legs.

Attach googly eyes to the head with craft glue, using your logical placement skills once again. Or glue them to your buttons if you desire obnoxious eyes. That could look pretty cool.

Go take pictures of your new buddy and show all of your friends. They will be amazed and ask you if you’ll make them one. Smile, and shake your head. Tell them to knit their own damn dinosaurs. This one’s yours.